The number of locations and attractions that passengers will see depends on the duration of the flight. During a 15-minute flight, we managed to see (currently 12 or 17 minutes):
- The artificial island of Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Hotel
- Burj Al Arab Hotel
- Burj Khalifa on the horizon
- Dubai Marina and the coast
If you choose 17 or 22 minutes, you can also see the Mir archipelago (a cluster of islands resembling a map of continents), Dubai Creek, the second Palm and much more. Each fare includes a description of the tour and what is included, so please read carefully.
In the helicopter, you wear headphones, and the pilot tells you exactly what you are flying over at that moment. However, it is not particularly easy to hear him.
On longer flights, as I understand it, they fly closer to the Burj Khalifa — on the short flight, we saw the tower from a distance, but it was no less impressive.
Tourist reviews of helicopter flights in Dubai are positive and confirm my words: ‘great experience’, ‘highly recommended’. Many people like the take-off point — you can see Palm Island and the Atlantis hotel right away.
What do you need for a helicopter flight? Rules
The main things:
1) pay in advance,
2) bring your passport
3) and be at the office 45 minutes before departure.
If you choose the 15-minute option like we did (now 12 and 17 minutes), there is no free transfer (but you can try writing to the website after booking to check).
Option 22 or 30 minutes includes a transfer from your hotel in Dubai — you need to write in advance and tell them which hotel you are staying at and check whether it is included or not (because this often changes). In any case, it is inexpensive to get there by taxi.
We took a taxi: the trip from the Mall of the Emirates to the site cost 33 dirhams. The meeting point is indicated on the voucher sent to your email after booking. It is on the Palm, near the Aquaventure water park guest car park.
The helicopter tour may be cancelled — with a refund or rescheduling to another day — in case of bad weather. It is important to understand and accept this.
In the UAE, everything is simpler, the weather is usually good. I’ve been here ten times and never once seen rain or even clouds! But to be sure you get to fly over Dubai in a helicopter, plan it for the first few days of your holiday, then you can reschedule without any problems if necessary.
